


Your Hand In Mine

by Elihue



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Older Characters, Romantic Fluff, Silver Fox, this is basically just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 12:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4391849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elihue/pseuds/Elihue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erwin had a plan for his life. He accomplished some of the things he set out to do. Some things didn’t go quite as he’d hoped. The years have come and gone; he's no longer a young man. But today, on the afternoon of his fiftieth birthday, he takes a moment to appreciate what he does have.</p><p><del>Alternatively known as “My Friend and I Were Texting Each Other About Silver Foxes and Then This Happened”</del> </p><p>Originally posted on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Hand In Mine

**Author's Note:**

> My friend and I were talking about a documentary of all things when I suddenly got an urge...well, a thirst, really, to write about older gentlemen in love. There really isn't enough fiction about older couples, which I find a little sad. Falling in love is wonderful, but love that lasts? That stands the test of time? That's much harder to find.

“Hurry up, old man,” Levi’s voice echoes through the foyer of their house. His words- coupled with the rapid staccato rhythm of his foot against the marble floor- clearly makes his impatience known to Erwin, who’s _still_ getting ready upstairs. At this rate, they’re going to be late for Erwin’s birthday dinner, and he just KNOWS that four-eyes wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.

“You know, Levi, we’re the same age.” Erwin remarks as he ambles down the staircase, straightening his tie along the way. He doesn’t bother picking up the pace. After 30 years of marriage, Erwin knows full well what Levi’s breaking point is. Despite the intimidating scowl on his husband’s handsome face, Levi’s currently only “mildly ticked”.

Levi scoffs. “Not until December we’re not.” “Besides,” he smirks, _“I_ can still pass for 40. You look like the old man you are. Plus. You play bingo in the park now.”

Erwin releases a long-suffering sigh. “For the last time, I was playing CHESS.”

“Still old.” Levi quips cheekily before strolling out the door and shutting it before Erwin has the chance to reply.

Erwin rolls his eyes, but because Levi is no longer in the house, he doesn’t have to hide the smile that curves his full lips.  

Life passed them by so quickly. He feels like just a few days ago, he’d been twenty years old, anxious fingers reflexively flexing around the small velvet box hidden in his pocket. Now he’s fifty, as a glance in the nearby mirror clearly attests. Crow’s feet adorn the skin around his eyes and his slicked-back hair is now more silver than blond. There are laugh lines around his mouth, and the bags under his eyes are firmly etched into his skin. Speaking of eyes, he thinks as he meets his own in the mirror, are his as alert as they used to be?

Years in the military left him with impeccable posture, but he imagines he doesn’t stand quite as tall as he used to. He inhales slowly as he straightens his spine, sucking in his stomach at the same time. He rests one hand on his abdomen, which isn’t quite as firm as it used to be. Keeping his eyes on himself in the mirror, he exhales and finally lets pretense go.

Levi’s right. He _is_ older. Time waits for no man, not even Erwin Smith. No amount of money, power, or cunning could change that.

Lost in thought, he doesn’t realize that Levi has reentered their home. The shorter man leans against the mahogany door silently, his steely eyes focused on Erwin’s profile. Erwin looks Levi’s way for the first time, drinking his husband in.

Those gunmetal eyes are looking at him, through him, and Erwin is reminded of the way Levi looked at him 30 years ago when he finally pulled out that little velvet box. When he knelt down. When he asked Levi to stay with him for the rest of his days. 

Then Levi’s thin lips curl upwards, just slightly, and those eyes soften and lose some of their intensity. That look steals Erwin’s heart and breath all at once, just like it did when Levi whispered “yes” to that all-important question. 

Levi’s drawl brings him back to the present. “You done staring at yourself in the mirror yet, Eyebrows?”

Erwin has a feeling that Levi knows he hadn’t been admiring his reflection. His husband is a lot more perceptive than he lets on. Besides, enhanced perception or not, Levi’s always been able to read Erwin when no one else could.

“Thank you.” He says, though he doesn’t clarify what for. Just lets those words hang between them. Levi scoffs again. Erwin thinks he hears the shorter man mutter something along the lines of “you old fool” under his breath. He doesn’t get a chance to question Levi about it though, because suddenly Levi’s hand is wrapped around his own, pulling him through the now-open doorway.

“Now we’re definitely not getting there on time. I hope you know I’m blaming it on you when everyone needles me about why the guest of honor is late to his own party.”

Erwin laughs. “Since I’m the guest of honor, they can wait for me.”

Levi shakes his head. “Selfish bastard.” But when Erwin adjusts their hold so that he can lace their fingers together, Levi accommodates him without a fuss.

Looking down at their hands, Erwin can’t help but remember the first time he touched Levi like this. His palms had been sweaty and more than a little shaky, overflowing with the nervous energy of fifteen.

Now, his hands are dry and steady, solid with self-assurance that came with age. His hands aren’t as smooth as they once were. In a few years, maybe less, they’d probably start to wrinkle. The added reminder of his own mortality sobers him. But as he looks at those pale fingers entwined with his, he realizes that growing a little older doesn’t mean much.

Because no matter how much time has passed, as long as this hand is in his, time doesn’t matter. He’s sure that, even when he’s wrinkled and grey, even when he’s returned to the Earth, his love would remain the same. Unchanging. Everlasting.

He gives those pale fingers a little squeeze, and he smiles when he feels an answering squeeze in return.

That smile stays on his face, even after they start the car and start driving towards their destination. Because he knows with absolute certainty that out of all the things he’s accomplished in his life, and out of all the things that he may accomplish in the future, getting Levi to say yes to him on that day is by far the most meaningful.

Thirty years ago, he’d had a plan for his life. Some of those goals had been achieved, many of them didn’t go quite as planned. But the same fingers that had anxiously wrapped around Levi’s at 20 are still holding fast at 50. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“What are you grinning about?” Levi asks. He says the words in his usual monotone, but Erwin can tell by the slight lift of his eyebrow that Levi’s genuinely curious. 

Erwin waits until they reach a stop light before turning his head and giving Levi a gentle kiss.

“Nothing darling.” Erwin whispers against his husband’s lips. “I’m just so happy that your hand is still in mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Aw. Hope y'all liked my little ficlet. This was a good exercise in brevity for me; I tend to be pretty wordy. Any time I try to write something short, it always ends up being crazy long. (If you've read any of my other fics, you know what I mean...) I'm going to try to write more drabbles on my [tumblr](distilldiscussion.tumblr.com), so if you want to drop by and check them out, please feel free to do so! Hell, you can even request something- my inbox is always open.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. I'll be posting something new later this week, so maybe I'll see some of you soon!


End file.
